mousek

perhaps a slight change in the foods you eat? maybe just liquids for a day or 2 to get the ball rolling?

No, haven't but will look at it on internet. Similar to atkins? Noticed your surgery is tomorrow! Good luck! and be sure to come back the site to let us know how are you doing or if you have any concerns; it will really help to have the support.

http://cauk.atkins.com/ lots of recipes, carb info, the works

:thumbs_up: No problem with salad. Love Greek salad with crumbled feta on it and black olives,or caesar with homemade bacon bits, parmesan and some croutons for a treat! I find the crunch of a salad very satisfying as well in addition to the health benefits of fresh greens. I also happen to love the taste of a fresh salad too so I'm glad i don't have a problem eating it. :thumbup: p.s. I'm running on a bit about the food as I am so tired of my liquid diet that is now over 3 weeks because of my jaw surgery. I would so love to have a salad or something crunchy.

yikes, thank goodness you were at home eventhough you had that unfortunate accident. yes milk of magnesia is pretty good but in my case it didn't work as well as the beets. I have been taking tylenol with codeine for over 3 weeks because of the serious jaw and chin surgery I had 3 weeks ago. codeine constipates me like i can't even explain and it really relaxes your muscles. I tried to take it a bit less but the pain is so severe and still acute especially in my altered chin that i can't do without the med for now. I wanted to try something natural for a change because i've been taking so much strong prescription medication which was also making me dizzy so i didn't want anything else with commercial medicine in it and then remembered this remedy.

My pleasure! I was really severely backed up and tried 5 or 6 commercial products with very mediocre success. went down about a pound or more instantly from all the garbage cans that were piled up at the curb finally being emptied.

Did either of you check out the link with the other natural laxatives?

warning from personal experience; THIS CAN LITERALLY GO RIGHT THROUGH YOU IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. DISCLAIMER: I am not a health practitioner of any kind. I am simply putting forth something I tried for myself - the 1st I used today and second - the remedy that was used by a relative. Maybe even speaking to your doctor first would be a good idea. I never saw anything work that quickly so maybe I had too much of it. 1st. Here in Toronto Canada we have every conceivable food of the world available here because we are so multicultural. In Eastern European delicatessens such as Polish, Russian or Ukrainian there are packed in tetra boxes clear Soups. One type is clear beet Soup. I had 2 1/2 cups of that soup this afternoon in desperation. Had tried all sorts of commercial laxatives up until a few days ago and nothing really worked well. 1 week of constipation gone within 1 hour of having the 2 1/2 cups (I am only using this amount as a reference because I had 2 large mug fulls because i like the soup and then measured it to be 2 1/2 cups for calorie counting). I am first generation Eastern European so grew up with borscht, rye bread and other Slavic foods that I personally enjoy. 2nd. boiled beets is a remedy that i had forgotten about but had heard of quite some time ago that cured a relative of chronic constipation. She now eats several boiled beets in the evening (she usually prepares a pot at a time) and no longer suffers from previously painful constipation. From what I remember she boils them with the skin on after they have been most thoroughly washed. She peels 1 or 2 at night (2 if quite small) and 1 if bigger. I think this is probably based on personal circumstances such as diet? severity of constipation? I have included a link with natural remedies that I found on the internet - quite an interesting article. liquid plumber to the rescue" or "Drano" for humans. tee hee hee

Well said Ellisa, unfortunately some people get too defensive and go into attack mode - i am very against that type of debate. I think to give an opinion on an eating plan one should have read the entire book, evaluate it, think about it with an open mind, then form an opinion that doesn't sound so biased. I've been dying to say what you did but as when i joined the forum last year and got scared away i don't want that to happen again. I need and enjoy the support of this forum for the most part. I don't want to feel bullied again. I'm glad to hear OWL mentioned - i've heard no mention of it from the opposition which leads me to believe that they don't know much about atkins.

you sound just like me - i love a small plate and a small fork. at pot lock or buffet i have also have problem with portion control and leave a lot and that makes me feel wasteful too.

After a year of observing trends what i've found about eating out at restaurants is that they always always use a lot of salt. Every single time I eat out, the next day my eyes are hooded - i am retaining water from the huge amount of sodium that restaurants notriously use to pump of the flavor of the food. When I cook at home which is 96-7% of the time - I watch how much salt I add. I don't measure but i watch how many dashes I put. I am so used to doing this that I immediately notice how salty food is in restaurants. To counteract the effect I have to drink almost twice as much water to flush out the salt and get rid of water retention. The weight always comes back down.

TONS MORE ENERGY!!! BEAUTIFUL hair (at least for me that's what it does) and shiny too! LOADS OF INCH LOSS GO ON VACATION - DON'T COME BACK 10 POUNDS HEAVIER. p.s. My band is not at restriction. I was in Puerto Vallarta last month at a resort that had the most delectable food. I didn't want to gain weight so I didn't have any bread, Pasta, rice or refined carbs, no fruit either. I know from low carbing in the past that this was the only way i could not come back with an extra stomach roll and I certainly wanted to get my money's worth and enjoy somebody else cooking for me. I ate like Henry VIII - I mean tons of bacon in the morning with eggs, salsa, guacamole. I think you get my drift. large greek salads with a good amount of feta on top and olive oil. or salads with creamy dressing, bbqd meats, deep fried fish that was lightly battered, deep fried chicken wings, duck, huge salad everyday - you name it - every conceivable decadent food. The only thing I left out were the refined carbs and fruit. I packed in about 2500 calories a day including about 7- 10 alcoholic drinks a day. I came back 2 pounds heavier after that completely indulgent pig-out week. I did drink about 8-10 glasses of Water as well which was easy because of the heat.

My absolute pleasure! I posted some of my favourites and some suggestions on another topic "What are you guys eating for protein" My mouth is watering!

I just found this link on the internet. Disclaiimer: I have not tried any of the recipes yet. I put it in my favorites though on my computer as i would like to try a few. The title specifically says for lap band. http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/cookbooks.asp?cookbook=347266

For the below food suggestions - add salt/pepper to taste. I experiment as far as quantity goes and kind of eyeball most of it. I cover everything to be baked to keep moisture in and keep foods as moist and tender as possible. I check on the things cooking frequently to check for readiness. baked chicken wings with a bit of garlic powder and paprika, once cooked i toss in a bit of bbq sauce that I make from low carb ketchup, bit of worcestshire sauce and some hp steak sauce, i then sometimes put hot sauce on top. I also dip in blue cheese dressing. I am returning to atkins low carb diet and saw weight loss eating this type of food. I generally before the band had 5-6 wing pieces. Probably with the band 3-4 would be a stretch. Instead of baking though with such a small amount I spray some pam in a frying pan and slow cook the wings until almost fall off the bone - yummy. slow cooked spare ribs in the oven using same ingredients additions as above except for bbq sauce which i put on right at the end. i slow cook on 300 for about 2 hours or till falling off the bone and have them covered with tin foil. i broil for a few minutes to get a nice coating. i put the bbq sauce mixture once they are cooked and then broil. take small bites and chew very well. baked or slow pan fried hamburger patties using either lean ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey - i put some chopped onion in or some onion Soup mix, garlic powder and a tbsp or two of bbq sauce (bbq sauce keeps them nice and moist) tuna with mayo and chopped onion and some chopped dill pickle, i smush it very well so it is smooth and easy to swallow devilled eggs pan seared fish - any kind steamed seafood or boiled, lobster, crab, clams etc. soft rib eye steak on the bbq - one of the tenderest steaks i've ever found - i'm still very careful to take extra small bites and chew a lot. cheaper cuts of steak that i have marinated overnight with some balsamic vinegar a bit of olive oil and steak spices plus i usually pound it like anything with a tenderizer - i'm very careful with steak though as have had several stuck episodes boiled chicken legs with some bouillon cubes added to the Water - chicken legs come out very soft and what's left (the bouillon once strained) is pretty good too perhaps with a bit of salt and pepper stuffed green peppers using ground meat and prefried mushrooms onions - baked in oven covered in watered down tomato paste and low carb ketchup to taste. i saute meat as well. they are done (i cook them at 350) when the peppers are very soft when poked with a fork and green color has faded. stuffed cabbage (cabbage rolls) , cabbage needs to be precooked and peeled leaf by leaf - this takes time and some patience. with same ingredients as stuffed green peppers, i cover the cabbage with the biggest leaves i took off at the beginning and cover the rolled ones to keep in the moisture. I use 1 big cabbage and i do smother the top in tomato sauce mixture. I bake for about 1.5 hours on 350. cabbage should be easily poked with a fork when done. meat and all ingredients should be precooked and then stuffed (rolled) into the cabbage. eggplant parmesan - prepared as if making lasagna (substitute thinly sliced preferrably oven baked with some olive oil and salt and pepper until pretty soft but not falling apart) and use what other ingredients you normally would to make a lasagna - tomato sauce preferrable low carb, mozzarella ( i prefer a lower fat one) low fat ricotta cheese, baked at 350 covered for approx 40 minutes - give or take. no bean chile prepared the same as regular but without Beans. I also included this link that i quickly looked up under low carb recipes for lapbanders - i haven't tested any of them though. http://recipes.spark...cookbook=347266 hope this helps

Sounds terrific! Thanks for the great recipe!

Congratulations on your fabulous weight loss! Would you consider posting what an average low carb 1000-1200 calorie day looks like in the way of a meal plan? If not, would you consider emailing me? Thank you so much in advance. p.s. and if you do post or email, could you include weights, portions. Thanks again.

Hello, that is a great weight loss, sorry but I am a bit confused as just starting to get back into low carb, is 70 grams about 2 t bone steaks or could you give me a rough idea in meat that 70 grams would be? thanks so much.

Hello all low carbsters, I am feeling really ill from my jaw and chin surgery and the medication i am taking upsets my stomach so i was perusing the internet to see some before and after pics with Atkins to cheer myself up . I'm finding the atkins before and after forum particularly encouraging and inspiring to look at, and it is nice also because the posts are current. After reading through many posts, I think it is probably a good idea to have a band to maintain the incredible weight losses these people have had as some did regain their weight. The posts that I read indicated that they returned to Atkins to yet shed the weight again. I am so in fear of yoyo dieting as I think and have read of the stress in takes on your body and heart especially. http://www.atkinsdie...ore-after-pics/ a particularly inspiring story in the following link: http://www.atkinsdie...t-done-yet.html

Super WOW weight loss! Congrats on your marathons as well! :drum: Drum roll please! Your :clock: has come!

Just took a look at your progress pictures. You've done incredibly well!:waytogo: :welldone2: :drum: Drum roll please!

Thanks Sue for your kind words. won't avoid meds again - just didn't seem to have the proper dose - it's very scary to black out. However, last night I took 1 pill of a pain medication and it was okay. when I awoke to make a trip to the washroom i didn't feel like i was going to black out. I woke up though really because the pain medication had worn off after about 6.5 hours of sleep. I've just taken 1 pill again and the pain is at bay as you say. I think I had some demerol left over in my system and then alternating with this tylenol was too much for me. I've put the demerol away for now. thanks for your advice.

I like that part about the numbers don't lie. I think journaling should be the number one part of weight loss. :Banane31:

jaw surgery update: went through refill ot prescription pain medication tylenol with codeine and tried to today not to take pain medication (using up some leftovers from the last dental procedure). So I took no pain medication today and the pain was so torturous in my chin that i will not try that again. Just getting quite a bit dizzy with pain meds when haven't eaten too much. they had taken a bit off my chin so i would not have a point sticking out when my jaw was moved forward. Tomorrow is 3 weeks since the surgery and I must say it is one of the more painful things I have been through. At least with childbirth the pain comes to an end within 10 -30 hours, not this. Oh well, hoping things will start to look up soon as pain makes me very very tired especially day after day pain.

That is a great way of explaining low carb, "limit sugar, white flour and starches". Will try to remember to phrase it that way in future.